Arts, Briefly; An Oscar for Sidney Lumet

By CATHERINE BILLEY; Compiled by Lawrence Van Gelder

Published: December 17, 2004

Correction Appended

Sidney Lumet (right), who earned an Oscar nomination when he made his debut as a feature film director 47 years ago with ''12 Angry Men,'' will receive an honorary Academy Award in February for his ''brilliant services to screenwriters, performers and the art of the motion picture,'' the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday. Mr. Lumet, 80, has been nominated for best director three times. Besides the courtroom drama ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), he was nominated for the bank heist film ''Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975) and for the media satire ''Network'' (1976). Mr. Lumet's credits also include the cop thriller ''Serpico''; another courtroom drama, ''The Verdict'' (1982); and the fugitive film ''Running on Empty'' (1988). He will receive his honorary Oscar at the 77th Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Feb. 27. CATHERINE BILLEY

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Correction: December 22, 2004, Wednesday
A reports in the ''Arts, Briefly'' column on Friday about plans to present an honorary Academy Award to Sidney Lumet misstated the number of times he has been nominated for the award as best director. It is four, not three. He was nominated for ''The Verdict'' as well as for ''Twelve Angry Men,'' ''Dog Day Afternoon'' and ''Network.''